Course summary

Become a skilled and versatile animator with a focus on illustration and storytelling, and prepare for a rewarding creative career. Our BA (Hons) Animation and Illustration course explores the connections between animation and illustration, helping you to create sequential narratives using a variety of methods – from the latest specialist 2D digital animation, 3D CGI used in industry and interactive techniques to traditional handmade image-making. You will develop creative abilities, technical skills and a personal language within animation, as well as sequential imagery within graphic novels, with the focus being on illustration and design. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll get time, guidance and support from a team of industry professionals, animators and illustrators who are dedicated to your creative development. As well as regular visiting industry speakers to inspire and guide you in your creative work, in your final year you will also receive guidance from an assigned industry advisor dedicated to the year. At Cambridge School of Art, you’ll experiment and discover, try stuff out, venture into the unknown and find solutions, develop and create. Join a course that scored 95% for “Learning resources” in the National Student Survey 2024. While developing a unique visual style, you’ll also focus on the core foundations: studying the world around you, refining your drawing skills, learning the fundamentals of animation skills using industry standard 2D and 3D animation software, such as TV paint and Maya and learning to create engaging stories through moving images. You’ll go on group reportage drawing trips, with opportunities to visit museums, galleries and animation festivals in the UK and overseas. You’ll find lots of visual inspiration in Cambridge – from the Botanic Gardens to the art collection in the Fitzwilliam Museum, to the city’s architectural beauty and vibrant cultural and student life. On campus, you’ll have access to our dedicated animation production studios, which feature high-end 3D CGI, Cintiqs and Rostrum camera, lighting and sound recording equipment. These are the tools you need for the wide range of animation methods we teach from traditional hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, experimental and interactive imaging to the up-to-date industry-standards of 2D and 3D digital animation. As well as this, all our Animation and Illustration students have access to printmaking facilities, photo and film studios, and life drawing studios. As a student at ARU you’ll receive ongoing support to find placements and work experience through the Creative Industries placement work experience module, and you can also take an optional placement year. You’ll also get the opportunity to work on live briefs set by industry; we’ve previously worked with companies including Curveball Media and Allia Future, and more recently our students have worked with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, creating a short animated ident to promote their collaboration with Chelsea Flower Show. You'll develop a professional showreel and website, so you are ready to go out into industry, get the opportunity to present your work at festivals and fairs, as well as showcasing your talent through Present, our graduate exhibition website, and New Designers, London. Careers With an understanding of traditional animation and illustration, combined with expertise in cutting-edge digital design technology, our graduates have found success with leading animation studios and broadcasters, including Channel 4 and the BBC. On our Sequential Practice module, you’ll focus on preparing for life beyond university, creating a showreel, a website and promotional material, as well as hearing guest speakers from some of the top animation studios in London, such as Passion Pictures, The Mill, FrameStore and Studio Aka.